US revokes more than 6,000 student visas
Trump administration officials have said that student visa holders are subject to deportation over their support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. File photo: Reuters
The administration of US President Donald Trump has revoked more than 6,000 student visas for overstays and breaking the law, including a small minority for "support for terrorism," a US State Department official said on Monday.
The move, first reported by Fox Digital, comes as the Trump administration has adopted a particularly hard-line approach toward student visas as part of its immigration crackdown, tightening social media vetting and expanding screening.
Directives from the State Department this year have ordered US diplomats abroad to be vigilant against any applicants whom Washington may see as hostile to the United States and with a history of political activism.
Around 4,000 visas were canceled because the visitors broke the law, with the vast majority being assault, the official said. Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and burglary were other offenses, the official added.
About 200 to 300 visas were revoked for terrorism, the official said, citing a rule about visa ineligibility under the State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual.
The rule identifies ineligibility grounds generally as "engaging in terrorist activities" and "having certain links to terrorist organisations."
The official did not say which groups the students whose visas have been revoked were in support of.
Trump has clashed with several top-level US universities, accusing them of becoming bastions of antisemitism following large-scale student protests advocating for Palestinian rights amid the Gaza war.
In his clash with Harvard, Trump has frozen funding for investigations and threatened to remove the university's tax-exempt status.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he has revoked the visas of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, including students, because they got involved in activities which he said went against US foreign policy priorities.
Trump administration officials have said that student visa and green card holders are subject to deportation over their support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza, calling their actions a threat to US foreign policy and accusing them of being pro-Hamas.
A Tufts University student from Turkey was held for over six weeks in an immigration detention centre in Louisiana after co-writing an opinion piece criticising her school's response to Israel's war in Gaza.
She was released from custody after a federal judge granted her bail.
Trump's critics have called the effort an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. (Reuters)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
US to assess ‘anti-American' views - including on social media
US President Donald Trump's administration said on Tuesday it would look for 'anti-American' views, including on social media, when deciding on the right to live in the United States. US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which handles requests to stay in the United States or become a citizen, said it would expand vetting of the social media postings of applicants. 'America's benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies,' agency spokesman Matthew Tragesser said in a statement. 'Immigration benefits - including to live and work in the United States - remain a privilege, not a right.' The US Immigration and Nationality Act, which dates back to 1952, defines anti-Americanism which at the time primarily focused on communists. But the Trump administration has already moved aggressively to deny or rescind short-term visas for people deemed to go against US foreign policy interests, especially on Israel.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US soybean farmers urge Trump to make purchase deal with China
American soybean farmers urged US President Donald Trump in a Tuesday letter to reach a trade deal with China that secures significant soybean purchase agreements, warning of dire long-term economic outcomes if the country continues to shun the US crop. China , the world's largest soybean buyer, is turning to Brazilian cargoes amid trade tensions with the US and continuing negotiations. The country has not pre-purchased soybeans from the coming US harvest, an unusual delay that has worried traders and farmers. 'Soybean farmers are under extreme financial stress. Prices continue to drop and at the same time our farmers are paying significantly more for inputs and equipment. 'US soybean farmers cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute with our largest customer,' said the letter sent from the American Soybean Association (ASA) to Trump on Tuesday. China's turn to Brazilian soybeans could cost US farmers billions. China bought 54 per cent of US soybean exports in the 2023-2024 marketing year, worth US$13.2 billion, according to the ASA. The country's soybean imports hit a record July high this year.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Mexican boxer Chavez Jnr deported from US over alleged cartel ties
Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr has entered a prison in the northern Mexico state of Sonora after his arrest in the United States in July, Mexico's national arrest registry showed on Tuesday. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, in her daily press conference, said the 39-year-old had been deported. She previously said there was a warrant for his arrest for charges of arms trafficking and organised crime, and that prosecutors were working on the case. The Mexican attorney general's office declined to comment. The boxer's extradition comes as US President Donald Trump cracks down on immigrants as part of a promise to deport millions of people. Chavez Jnr, the son of a legendary former world champion boxer Julio Cesar Chavez, was detained by US immigration authorities soon after losing in a sold-out match to American influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Mexican prosecutors allege he acted as a henchman for the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington designated a foreign terrorist organisation earlier this year.
